Rose Pink Days
by PastellPop
Summary: UPDATE: *Now a series of sweet n' fluffy Luka x Teto one-shots!* The first story may be a bit slow, but as you read on, you'll find out more about Luka and Teto and even see their relationship progress.
1. Happy Days

"I'm so relieved that school is almost over." Teto said, opening her sakura-pink bento box, watching as the brown fried rice glowed in the high sun.

"Do you mean the day almost being over? Or summer vacation?" Luka asked, taking an egg from her own bento box and eating it.

"Both!" Teto cheerfully sang.

Luka was happy to see that Teto seemed to be enjoying the lunches she made... for both of them. They were living together and even though Teto didn't know how to cook, Luka was at least quite skilled at it. It sometimes made Teto feel a bit like Luka's burden, but Luka constantly reminded her that she wasn't. She was anything but a burden to her.

"Okay Teto, say 'aah'." Luka urged to her, holding the chopsticks near her face.

"Luka, I'm not a baby!" Teto said.

"I'm just sharing my lunch with you. You can have my carrots, little bunny."

Teto blushed at how Luka just called her a little bunny.

"I'm... I'm not a little bunny." she pouted.

Luka was being strangely playful today, and Teto was fun to tease, especially how she usually went along with it. And how she nibbled on her food, she did look like a bunnyーso sweet!

Maybe it was the air that made Luka feel this way. The two sat eating lunch on the roof, and it was one of the most pleasant days in June so far. There was a nice continuous breeze and the air wasn't thick or scorching. It was perfect.

Teto loved how free she felt wearing the spring+summer uniform. The sleeves were puffy and short and the skirt was even shorter than the winter uniform's. For the girls in Teto's high school, shorter skirts were a symbol of liberation. Nobody really knew why, but Teto went along with it.

For Luka, a young assistant teacher, she could wear anything as long as it was appropriate. Today she wore a white short-sleeved blouse and capri jeans. Her long hair was tied up in a loose bun, which was uncommon for her, but it made the day just a bit more exciting. Teto thought Luka looked even more elegant with her hair tied up.

During all the break times, Luka hung around with Teto and almost practically became one of the students again. She was only nineteen after all, not that much older than them.

Aside from the carrots, Luka made sure her own lunches were always filled with seafood. Boiled octopus, grilled tuna and salmon, and shrimp rice?

"You really do love seafood." Teto said. "It's like you're a mermaid or something. And you love the ocean a lot, don't you..."

"So, first I'm a fairy, and now I'm a mermaid?" Luka poked at Teto's cheek endearingly.

"But... you're so magical, Luka!" Teto said admiringly, rubbing her cheek. Luka did always have this air of... enchantment around her. Teto couldn't describe it any other way. It always felt as if she were friends with a fairy or a mermaid, being with Luka.

"Now I'm gonna poke Luka's cheek!" Teto singsonged, grabbing onto the taller girl's cheek and squeezing.

"It's soft!" she said. "Luka's face is soft and tender..."

"And Teto is cute like a bunny-fairy." Luka gently took Teto's hand and gently placed it aside. She leaned up slowly and gave Teto a small peck on the cheek.

"Heehee." Teto giggled and blushed.

* * *

"Why is Megurine-sensei always with Kasane?"

"I don't know, but I've heard that they're living together..."

People were talking all around the courtyard as the two held hands and made their way to the schoolyard's exit together. But neither Luka and Teto minded. They were best friends after all, even though they weren't both students.

"Student-teacher-relationship" didn't sound like the right words to describe them at all. They were best friends. Girlfriends. Sistersーanything but student-and-teacher.

After school let out and it was still just as nice out, the two stepped on a local bus and headed into town together. It was much too precious and beautiful of a day to spend laying around at home after all.

The bus wasn't crowded today, so the two had a lot of space to sit back and talk amongst themselves. It was a comfortable ride, passing through a lot of sceneryーtrees, blooming flowers, and the pretty houses by the road.

"Say, Teto..." Luka asked.

"Hm?"

"Do you have your school swimsuit somewhere in your bag?"

Teto shrugged. "Wait, I think I do... why?"

"Oh, great. It's because I brought my swimsuit today. I was thinking we could go to the recreation center today together and swim."

Teto gasped. "I would LOVE to! Are you going to give me more swimming lessons today, Luka?"

Luka nodded. "You've been doing very well lately, Teto. You just need to work on kicking straight."

"Aw, I don't understand how you someone can be so straight like a board when they're trying hard to stay afloat..."

"Think about it. It's the reason you float when you lay flat on your back. You'll instead just be your front, moving."

* * *

Arriving at the recreation center's pool, the two changed into their swimsuits and got ready to go into the indoor pool.

"Luka, you're wearing a bikini?" Teto was surprised to see it. It indeed was a refined beige bikini, a color that looked rather... sexy on Luka.

The sight made Teto blush.

"She looks so... so... so much more attractive than... me. It's a little bit embarrassing..."

"Teto, why are you just standing there?"

Teto looked and saw that Luka was already lowering herself into the shallow end of the pool. Teto wouldn't be able to handle getting into cold water like thatーshe was so sensitive!

"Because, the water is really cold." Teto sighed. "I can't handle temperatures..."

It was both an excuse and the truth. Teto couldn't handle cold water, it literally pained her to get in water and pools when they weren't heated. Even though she would get used to it, it was the initial shock...

"Give me a nice warm bath any day..." Teto began daydreaming, imagining the pool being filled with steamy lukewarm water.

Lukewarm? Teto thought that was a weird word. Luke-warm. Who's Luke? Why is he warm? Luke... Luke? Luka...

"I wish the water was Luka-warm!" Teto spontaneously declared.

"Hm?" Luka said, confused.

"Just lukewarm water isn't enough! I want Luka-warm water! Lukawarm! Warm like Luka-chan's heart!"

Luka finally got the joke and laughed with her face in her hands, blushing.

Teto was now warmed up enough inside to lower herself in the water... and she didn't even feel a bit cold when she did.

She was imagining that the water was "Lukawarm".

(that joke didn't translate well into Japanese ha ha ha)

* * *

"Now, are we going to continue learning freestyle? Breaststroke?"

Luka was especially good at breaststroke, that and backstroke. In fact... every stroke, really.

"I wonder if you need... breasts to be good at breast-stroke." Teto thought, glancing at her own chest... "That would explain why... why Luka's so much better than me at it..."

"Teto?" Luka tried getting her attention again. "You're quite a little daydreamer."

"Oh! I want to do freestyle today." Teto answered, "It sounds very 'free' to me."

Interrupting them, there was a greeting voice from the bleachers.

"Hey! Teto-chan! Megurine-sensei!"

It was Teto's classmate Megumi, or by her nickname, Gumi. She was outside the pool, walking on the sidelines with her bag.

"It's interesting seeing you here." she waved her usual hyper and awkward wave. "I knew you two were close, but you do activities together too, huh."

"Yep! Hey, Gumicchi!" Teto called to her. "Are you going to swim too?"

Gumi shook her head. "No... I was only at the recreation center's art club. I go here sometimes after it's finished just to get inspiration. Because..."

Gumi paused to take in in the cool, "blue" atmosphere of the indoor pool.

"I draw manga, I love drawing pictures of people playing sports, since there's so many sports anime I love. And what better place to be inspired than a swimming pool? I've always adored water too, so I love being next to the pool and drawing here, heehee."

"Oh, cool!" Teto said. "Have fun! Luka's teaching me swimming right now!"

"Oh, okay!" Gumi had a strange sparkle in her eye.

"Um... do you mind if I... if I use you two as inspiration?"

"Um, sure?" Luka responded casually as she could.

"Haha, yaaay! Thanks, you guys!" Gumi spazzed and practically flew to the nearby bench with her sketchbook held tightly in her hand.

Luka eyed Teto bashfully.

* * *

"You're like a little water guppy, Teto." Luka endearingly eyed her as she bounced and dunked herself in the water.

Teto felt so natural in the water, as if she were a fish. But if she were a fish...

"Then Luka's surely a mermaid!" Teto said. "You act just the same in the water, except you can do all the moves and flips... how do you do that, anyway?"

Luka bashfully shrugged. Sometimes Teto's admiration for her got her a small bit overwhelming.

Soon Luka started the lesson by having Teto hold her arm to the pool wall.

"Keep your arms streamlinedーthat means bend them as little as you can. Try for long, straight kicks. You'll get used to it."

"Okay..." Teto kicked until she got a steady rhythm, but when she let go of the wall, she splashed through the water and sank, as bent as a snapped branch.

"Ungh..." she surfaced after a failed attempt. "It's easy to do it holding onto the wall... but why not without it?"

"It's probably just your nerves, Teto." Luka answered. "Just do as you always do on the wall, and don't even think about how you're no longer holding onto it. Okay?"

Teto nodded. "Uh-huh... I'll try!"

This time, when she let go, she glided a nice few meters before she started sinking... and she lifted her head from the water and saw Luka clapping.

"Great job, you did it!" she said delightfully.

"Wow, I did! It's because of you." Teto said sheepishly.

Gumi snapped a picture.

* * *

"Okay! Now I want to watch Luka swim all the way across the pool and back!" Teto urged.

"But... why?"

The two had finished their lesson period for today.

"Because, it's amazing!" Teto cheered. "You look like you're flying! Soaring! Pease? I want to watch again..."

"Fine... just once."

"Luka's so tsundere..." Gumi said from the bleachers.

From her same spot, the taller girl gallantly dove into the pool, spread her arms and started doing freestyle.

"Wow!" Gumi instantly pulled out her camera again and snapped pictures.

"No, pictures aren't enough. I need to FILM this!"

Standing high on the bleachers, Gumi pressed film mode and centered it right on Luka, who was gliding towards the deep endー10 feet deep near the diving boards.

"Wow! This is enthralling!" she squealed. "Such technique..."

Once Luka got to the other end, she did an amazing moveーa flip turn, gracefully, powerful and in perfect timing. After pushing off the wall, she surfaced gracefully like a...

"It feels like I'm watching a mermaid!" Gumi shouted.

"I know, right?" Teto shouted back to Gumi.

Once Luka got back, she let go off the edge slowly into the shallow end with Teto, her face completely red.

"Aww, is Luka-chan all embarrassed?" Teto hugged her and felt warmth beating from her skin.

"Eh, wow. You're so hot."

Luka blushed even deeper.

"N-no! Not THAT kind of hot!" Teto talked louder. "I mean, you're really warm. Are you okay?"

"To be honest... I used a lot of energy." Luka said. "I'm not... as amazing at everything as you act like I am. Sorry..."

"Huh..." Teto slumped, feeling like she had hurt Luka's feelings.

"Aww." Gumi leaned in to watch the scene.

"Don't say that..." Teto clutched onto the older girl's shoulder.

"I admire you, and you're my role model too. Why do you never believe in yourself?"

Luka shifted her eyes towards Teto and away.

"Because... there's much less distance between you and me than you seem to act." Luka said. "You treat me like I'm so much above you, but it isn't true at all. I don't like to feel as if I'm 'better' than anyone. So what I'm trying to say is..."

Luka patted Teto, trying to say it as nicely as she could.

"Please don't treat me as if I'm better than you. I'm only the same."

Teto sighed. "Alright..." she said softly, after a pause. "But... Luka, can I still admire you? Please?"

Teto looked at her, with large, innocent drooping eyes. A quavering little worried face.

The face Luka couldn't possibly say "no" to.

Luka signed and smiled. "Sure you can... because,"

Luka began stroking Teto's cheek, swept away all of a sudden.

"How could I say 'no' to your face? You're so cute, Teto."

Teto found herself blushing again.

"Luka... I'm not that cute..."

* * *

Teto began to float on her back, closing her eyes and sighing. She simply could just drift off to sleep.

"I just realized I could do this recently." she said, as the water covered and cooled her entire backside.

"Ah, yes..." Luka was suddenly floating on her back, right alongside Teto "It's relaxing, isn't it?"

"Mm-hm."

The two girls joined hands in the position, and Teto slowly closed her eyes. In her vision, colorful jellyfish were floating around her and she was holding onto the hand of a mermaid... floating across an enchanted, warm, waveless sea with her...

* * *

"Let me just tell you two that I got ÜBER INSPIRED TODAY." Gumi eccentricly ran up and twirled in front of Teto and Luka.

"Because of you! I just made the CUTEST one-shot comic I've made in the longest time! Toooodles!"

Gumi ran off, laughing her mad inspired artist laugh.

Teto and Luka stood there sweating nervously.

"So... we're both cute...?"

The two eyed each other momentarily and shrugged.

* * *

"Teto, may I brush your hair?" Luka asked, undoing Teto's hair ties and letting her billowy damp hair down.

"Okay."

Teto's hair, now uncoiled and reaching to almost her hips, continued to bounce and fly away in even smaller tufts.

"Oh my..." Luka said, trying to brush her hair down. "But it's still very soft."

She patted her hair a little and Teto closed her eyes, imagining she was at a beauty salon.

"When you're done, I wanna brush Luka's hair too." Teto said softly.

"Sure."

After a few moments, Teto's hair was in perfect, shiny waves, looking beautiful as it trailed down.

"But when it dries, it'll just bounce back up to its usual shape again." Teto said.

"Hm, would you like if I tried a new hairstyle though?" Luka suggested.

"Maybe... maybe you can braid it."

Luka left Teto's hair down and began to braid the halves so that they'd point downwards.

"Yeah, like that. I've never worn that style before." Teto said sheepishly. "I wonder if it will stay, and not coil up again this time."

Once Luka was finished, Teto's hair seemed to stay down. It made her look quite different though, almost to the point of being unrecognizable. She looked more mature, but still retained her spunky appearance.

"Don't worry, I can still tell it's you." Luka said, once Teto was brushing her own hair.

"You always have the same face."

Luka had the kind of long hair that was straight and slightly wavy, but began to curl up near the ends.

"Okay, so... how about I put you in pigtails?" Teto spunkily suggested.

"Hm? I don't think... do you think I'd really look fine in pigtails?"

Luka unexpectedly seemed a bit antsy.

"Hm? Of course. Why?"

"I guess... I'm not like you, Teto. I can't make them work. I'm not... cute the way you are."

"Huh? But I think Luka is mega-cute."

Teto gave her a gentle hug from behind as Luka embarrassedly tried to break away.

"I'll just make you wear them anyway! And don't you dare say you don't look good in them."

* * *

Once she finished tying Luka's hair up, Teto needed to use the toilet.

"Carry me there."

"Why?" Luka looked at her with icy eyes.

"The toilet is far!" Teto complained, cutely. "The toilet is a tooi-let! A tooi-let!"

(note: "tooi" means far in Japanese.)

Luka giggled as if she was going to be gentle, but suddenly...

"Haha, no."

Luka pushed Teto into the bathroom, laughing at how she suddenly got a bit playful again.

"Oooh, it's right here! I thought it would be far away..." Teto said, once she saw that the toilet was right in front of her.

Once the stall was closed and Luka was alone, she looked at herself in the nearby mirror...

"Hm..." she brushed her hands through her pigtails, watching strands of hair spread out and trail along her fingers.

Slowly she smiled.

"La la, la..."

And posed a bit, put her hands to her face, sang a little bit... smiled and giggled some.

And began to twirl around, watching her hair move about...

"Heehee, oh my..."

She saw Teto's white and blue high school uniform laying flat on the nearby locker room bench and had an idea.

She held the uniform top up to herself... ah-hah... it looked nice. It matched well with her pigtails.

Next she got Teto's short blue skirt and awkwardly slid it on...

"Oh my!"

She skipped around to make the skirt swish a bit, her long pigtails trailing along with it. She felt young, cute, happy... like she was floating almost. Like she was encompassed by radiance and bliss... wearing pigtails with a high school uniform. Dancing in twintails and a short skirt...

Before Luka was aware, Teto had emerged from the bathroom stall with her mouth wide open.

"Luka... Luka? What are you... doing, dancing... in my uniform?" she asked, somewhat shuddering.

The soft cloud of bliss that Luka was floating in... solidified painfully and noisily shattered to the ground...

Luka agonizingly turned around to Teto's scared expression, and blushed the deepest she had all day. She was embarrassed.

Her cover... had been blown.

* * *

"Oh, so I see. You just wanted to feel like a high school girl."

Teto and Luka were sitting on a bench together near a field they had walked to. Soyokaze was located in the countryside after all, so there were many scenic wide open fields, with benches scattered in sometimes the most mysterious of places.

"Yes... I guess. I was a bit jealous of you, Teto. You're always so cute. And me... I'm not. I guess I just wanted to feel cute too. Once I realized I didn't look as bad as I thought I'd look in pigtails, I couldn't help myself."

Luka had on an embarrassed smile, one that said "I'm such a dork, haha."

"Oh. Do you miss being a high school student, Luka?" Teto asked.

"In a way." Luka wistfully replied. "I've never had the chance to attend a Japanese high school, since I grew up overseas. Once I got here, I guess I found myself feeling jealous of the students and their school life. And the uniform... it's so cute. I've always wanted to wear it but I've been too shy and it would be awkward to tell anyone."

"Oh." Teto sprawled herself back and leaned closer to Luka.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I seriously think you're cute, Luka. Maybe even cuter than me..."

"Oh, please Teto. Don't lie to me like that." Luka said, somewhat jokingly.

"How could you possibly think that I'm cuter than you are, little bunny?"

Suddenly, Luka squeezed Teto lovingly, stroking lightly at her bangs and playing with her sweet little braids.

"You're very cute Teto. Very, very cute."

After Luka let Teto go, the two looked at the sky together, encompassed in a serene moment.

"That's a beautiful sunset, isn't it, Luka." Teto said, musing at the way the sun shone bright rays behind a low pink cloud.

Luka, who had an eye for beauty, responded with a slow nod.

On the ground, Teto spotted a strange white rabbit, sitting still near her feet. The rabbit had a dreamy little expression on its face, as it twitched its nose and blinked.

"Luka, look." Teto poked Luka's shoulder and pointed towards the ground with her finger.

"The rabbit is looking at me."

It's white fur was marvelous and glowed in the sunset, almost as if light was shining from the animal itself. It instantly caught Luka's eye as well.

"It's a pretty rabbit." Luka said. "Strange too. Rabbits around here usually aren't white."

"I think it reminds me of you!" Teto said.

"Huh? It's more like you, Teto. It's cute and has chubby cheeks. Plus, you're a little bunny. Not me!"

The rabbit suddenly stood up twice before promptly jumping up into Teto's lap.

"Oh!" both girls were startled once the rabbit began to curl up on Teto's thighs as if they were nice and comfortable.

"Aww..." Teto gently stroked it's soft shiny fur and the rabbit began to slowly close it's eyes and curl up even more.

"It likes you a lot, Teto."

"I wonder if it's hungry..." Teto pulled a raw carrot piece out of her pocket.

"Wait... Teto! Where did you get that from?"

"You gave it to me, remember?" Teto said.

"I... I thought you ate those carrots, Teto!"

Teto shook her head. "I don't like carrots. I just didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"You also could've given them to carrot-lover Gumi. We saw her earlier, remember?"

"But at that time the carrots were in the locker room, Luka! And Gumi isn't an animal!"

While they were talking, the rabbit began to stand on its hind legs to nibble the carrot Teto held in her palm.

"Aww, it's eating!"

Teto and Luka quieted and watched the rabbit nibble.

"It's getting late." Luka watched as the color of the sky slowly progressed from orange to red-violet.

"We should to home now, Teto."

"Aww, okay. Goodbye, bunny." Teto gently picked the small rabbit up and set it back on the ground, petting it before she drew back her arm. "Thanks for spending time with us. Now you be good, okay?"

Luka smiled endearingly, touched by how nicely Teto treated animals.

As they slowly headed away, the rabbit sprung up and ran to Teto's feet again.

"Hey."

Teto paused and the rabbit paused as well. It stood on its hind legs again and twitched its nose at her.

"It really likes you, Teto." Luka tapped her.

"Great. Now I can't leave the bunny alone." Teto pouted.

"Oh well. I've always wanted a pet. Luka... do you mind if we keep it? Please?" she begged.

Luka smiled, nodding.

"Of course, Teto! Except... I'm not good with animals. I've never cared for one. But I'm sure you are good with them, right?"

Teto nodded. "Yeah. I can always understand 'em. I think this little guy wants to be my friend."

"So," Luka said. "What shall we name it?"

"Hmm... I was thinking of a name that has a little bit of us in it. Something begginint in "Lu"? Lu..."

Luka went along. "Lu... Luna? Because I'm Luka, and I like tuna..."

"No... it doesn't really have any of me in it..." Teto shrugged.

"I guess not." Luka said again.

"Lu... Luigi! Hah, just joking. Lu..." Teto finally had an epiphany.

"Lunette! That's her name, Lunette, because... "Lu" from Luka... "ne" from Kasane and Megurine, and "-te" from Teto!"

Luka aww'ed. "That's a great name. It fits..."

"I think it does too. Because this bunny... I feel like it's no normal bunny. I feel like Lunette is special in some way. She shines like she came from the moon... I guess we'll find out sooner or later! Come on Lunette."

Teto scooped the rabbit off the ground and gently cuddled it in her arm.

"Let's go home together."

"But... Teto, we're going to have ride the bus home, right?" Luka reminded her.

"Oh, right..." Teto froze in disappointment, but suddenly remembered... "Oh, but there's an adoption center nearby! We could say we're adopting this rabbit, get a cage, and carry her home in it!"

"Okay."

The two strolled back down the field, Teto gently cradling the rabbit in her hands as it fell asleep.

It was the end of one bright, sparkling day together for them. And there would be many, many, many more yet to come.

...

* * *

ENDNOTE: discussing Lunette's name.

The way Japanese would pronounce Lunette would be "Runetto" or ルネット.

Therefore, the particle "to" would be at the end, and it would rhyme with "Teto".

If this story were in Japanese, Teto would probably say "and the 'to' at the end is from my name!"

But since it's English, I'm making the "te" from Lunette the part from Teto's name instead.

I like the name Lunette because... it accurately incorporates both their names in both the English spelling and the Japanese spelling!

Otherwise, thanks for reading this long, very um... drab, drabble-thingy about Luka and Teto's daily life. ' u '

Sorry there was no climax but I hope you managed to enjoy it. :')

Maybe Lunette might just be the star of another story, hm?


	2. Teto's Cold

Alone in her dark room, tucked away like a little napping rabbit, was frail Teto Kasane.

She could seldom breathe through her blocked nose, little whispers emanated from her mouth each time she exhaled. She was curled up tightly in her pink blanket, feeling protected from the bitter cold looming around the house on this gloomy evening.

In the midst of the rhapsody of sighs and congested little breaths, the room's door gently creaked open, Teto twitching a bit at the light that shine through. And standing in the light like a sweet guardian angel, was no one besides Luka Megurine, her girlfriend and housemate.

"Teto-chan, are you okay? Here, have some soup. It'll help."

She put the soup down on the table near Teto's bed. The soothing sound of heavy spring rain saturated the room as Luka lit up the dull lamp on Teto's nightstand.

Teto smiled and sat up weakly. Luka pressed her warm wide hand to the smaller girl's sticky forehead.

"You're still burning up..." the older girl said concernedly. "Your body might need this food. After you eat, make sure you get plenty more rest, okay?"

Teto felt extremely secure now. She couldn't bear to tell her girlfriend, but she was burning up even more due to blushing. Luka was so caring and so motherly to her, especially in moments like this when Teto was suffering from her sickly physique.

"Luka..." Teto cried out in a hoarse voice. "I'm sorry you have to worry about me... I wanna snuggle you for it... but I also don't want Luka-chan to catch my cold... Luka..."

Luka signed wistfully at and slowly leaned towards the sick girl, giving her a light wrap around the shoulders and a warm comforting kiss to her forehead. Her warmth surrounded Teto and wouldn't let her go.

"Teto, I don't mind. What matters is the way you're feeling, okay?"

Luka's smile and prescence... Teto couldn't describe it in words, the way it made her feel. It surely was something else.

"I actually already feel better..." Teto croaked, lifting up the soup bowl and bringing it to herself. "You're like... medicine. Only you don't taste bad. Not at all..."

"And... how do you know what I taste like?" Luka teasingly asked.

"Maybe I took a bite from you while you were sleeeeping..." Teto jokingly made a seductive tone of voice, making Luka hide her head and laugh a bit.

"That's tuna-noodle soup by the way." Luka said once she calmed. "It tastes a whole lot better than it sounds, I promise."

"It looks great." Teto said, with wide eyes. "I love tuna. Ever since we've started living together I've grown fond of it."

Teto lifted a spoonful and began to blow on it, the steam at least warming her nose.

Her nose began to twitch as she sniffled.

Sniffle sniffle. Twitchy, twitchy, twitch...

"There, there. Eat up. I can't stand seeing my little bunny so sick." Luka cooed.

Teto, even though exhausted, had enough energy in her to argue back.

"I'm not a little bunny, Luka!" she shouted, twitching her nose again.

"Hee hee." Luka giggled sheepishly. "Yes you are, twitchy Teto. That's why I added carrots in the soup."

"Luka..." Teto's face became red with blush.

"Don't you want to put socks on those bunny feet?" Luka said, eying Teto's bare feet. "It's so cold, and you're barefoot..."

Luka silently stood up and left the room. She came back harboring a nurturing expression, Teto's teddy bear, and a pair of fuzzy pink striped socks.

"Here, now you'll be nice and toasty, my little darling."

"Thank you..." Teto said, her eyes becoming big with gratitude... and embarrassment.

"Luka is... _babying me_." she thought. "Doesn't she realize I'm seventeen? I mean... I KNOW I have the face of a ten-year-old, and I don't act that mature... plus I... I..."

Teto's eyes grew wide again.

"Ohh... I kind of... _like_ it when Luka babies me..." she blushed.

"I _like_ to treat Teto like a baby..." Luka thought in unison. "What's wrong with me? I become so soft when I'm around Teto... because she's so sweet. I love to see her sweet face smile. Is that bad?"

"I really, really like when Luka-chan is this kind to me. It's like being in a big fuzzy blanket of her warmth." Teto thought.

"I've been so strange lately... ever since I met Teto. I've never acted like this before." Luka thought.

The rain outside performed a crescendo and the sound of the raindrops filled the otherwise quiet room once again.

"So... Teto. Do you want to watch a movie, perhaps?" Luka said, to break the silence.

Teto nodded, fighting back a little sneeze.

* * *

At the end of the movie, the two sisters were reunited. The big sister apologizes to her little sister and promises to never let her go.

They hug, and the movie ends with a shot of the two standing under a tree together, looking out at the town below bathed in the sunlight...

"Aaaaw, Luka! Wasn't that sweet? Ah-choo!" Teto rubbed her nose as she continued squealing at the end of the movie.

"Luka? Luka?" Teto waved her hand in front of the taller girl, only she wouldn't budge. Her hand was clamped tightly to her mouth as if she was hiding great discomfort...

Suddenly, Luka choked back a little sob. Trembling, she layered her other hand over her face and tried fighting them back.

"Luka! You're crying..."

Teto threw her frail little body onto Luka's lap and gave her waist a warm hug, rubbing her face into her torso.

"Luka, was it sad? I'm sorry, Luka. We won't watch it again..." she said with a bit of sympathy. Though they were only from a movie, Teto never wanted to see tears in her girlfriend's clear blue eyes.

Luka delicately wiped the tears that threatened to drip down her cheeks.

"Teto..." she said sheepishly. "It wasn't sad... but..."

Luka took one last misty-eyed gaze at the ending scene, before the credits began to roll.

"Isn't it just wonderful?" she said.

Teto thoughtfully looked at Luka's face and spoke humbly.

"I guess it is... because you're like my sister. We have that kind of love between us. We're just like those two, so it means a lot. I almost cried too, to be honest."

Luka sat deep in thought as Teto curled back in her lap.

"I've watched this movie times before... but _never_ had I shed a single tear at it until now. In fact, I've barely _ever_ cried or laughed before I met Teto..."

Luka looked down at her to see that the tender girl had been dozing off laying in her comfy lap.

"Teto, you certainly are the one who brought this color into my world." she whispered, gently playing with her soft curly hair and stroking her warm neck.

Teto cracked a single weary smile.

* * *

It was now 8:30 P.M. and Teto wouldn't stop dozing off. It became harder for her to breathe again and both girls knew that a good night's rest would be just the thing for her.

But suddenly...

"Luka, tell me a bedtime story." Teto said beseechingly. Spunk filled the weary girl as soon as her bottom hit the bed; as if her energy switch was located there.

"Teto, you really liked to be babied, don't you?"

Luka rubbed the little mound, which was Teto's knee in the blanket. Teto blushed a bit.

"Well... I just want you to tell me a bedtime story, that's all!" she said.

"Okay, okay." Luka laughed a bit. "_Once upon a time... there was a little bunny named Teto_."

"Oh, come on Luka! Stop teasing me!"

Luka ignored Teto and went on.

"_Teto the bunny doesn't feel so good today. Her eyes are fluttering and her nose is twitching even more today. Teto the bunny sneezes like 'chu, chu, chu'!_"

"Come on Luka, that story is boring!"

"Really Teto? You seem to be enjoying it. You are laughing after all."

Luka took another breath and continued.

"_Then Luka the mermaid comes out from the nearby pond and sees that her bunny friend is all curled up, shivering_."

"Wait, Luka! Why are you a mermaid and I'm just a little bunny!?"

"Well, you always say I'm a mermaid after all, Teto. This story is just for you. Now listen. Shh."

Luka lightly touched Teto's lip with her pointer finger.

"'_Teto-bunny, are you okay?' Luka says.  
'I'm not, sniffle sniffle!' replies Teto. 'I have the twitchies today and I feel really bad. I was supposed to go to a sleepover with my friends Miku bunny, Haku cat, and Neru cat. But now I'm sad and alone.'  
Aww. Little Teto bunny starts to cry. Luka the mermaid picks her up and cuddles her gently.  
'There, there. Teto bunny, how about you and I go on an adventure in this magical pond? We'll look for sparkling seaweed, which is a remedy for the twitchies. But if you smile, you will feel better in no time.'  
Luka the mermaid makes a magical bubble so Teto bunny can breathe underwater.  
The magical pond is filled with magical things, like tuna, and tuna, and tuna, and..._"

"Luka, are you hungry!?" Teto interrupted.

"_All across the pond, tuna sashimi are swimming around.  
'Yum, delicious!' Luka the mermaid eats all the delicious sashimi."_

"Luka, you're drooling! That's unladylike!"

"_Also in the magical pond, are singing dancing carrots. Teto bunny goes berserk looking at them. She's hungry, and also baffled at the fact that the food is performing. Then suddenly, an entire vegetable opera begins. The vegetables begin to perform a musical rendition of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet._"

"Luka, if you're making this story up on the spot, then you're WAY weirder than I ever thought."

"_However, Juliet was being played by a talking leek named Miku. Romeo was a banana named Len. Their love was forbidden as one was Fruit, and one was Vegetable. In the end, they chopped themselves up and became one salad._"

"Luka, your story started out promising, but it just got WEIRD." Teto said.

"Well excuse me, I was trying to think like YOU." Luka answered, jokingly.

"Rawr!" Teto feistily threw her My Little Pony pillow at Luka.

"Teto, Teto! I thought you were fatigued!" Luka said.

"Oh yeah. I forgot."

As soon as Teto's memory settled in again, she slumped and sank right into her bedsheets... her eyes fluttered shut like the eyes of a sleepy rabbit.

"Such a dear..." Luka thought. She dimmed the lights and tucked the little rabbit girl into bed, gently covering her with the thick blanket. She hummed quietly and Teto soon fell asleep to the voice of an angel...

"But will she stay warm...?" Luka thought.

"Teto, she's... looking lonely by herself."

Luka slowly climbed into Teto's princess-sized bed and crawled over to the side she didn't sleep on.

She couldn't resist wanting to cuddle with Teto, keeping her tender self warm all night long. Safe with her.

She merged over to her side and put her arms around Teto, transferring her warmth to her.

But to Luka's surprise, Teto leaned up and sweetly, gently kissed her right on the lip.

Luka's eyes slowly fluttered shut as she was lost in the rapture of the sweet kiss. The tender feelings conveyed reached directly to her. Luka sustained the kiss and once they parted, they slept with their faces almost touching to each other's.

The next morning...

You know the old cliche.

The next morning, Teto felt better, and Luka became sick.

And it was now time for Teto to treat Luka like a baby.


	3. I Like Her

Miku occasionally liked to sit on the school's roof alone during breaks.  
It was a warm day and the breeze made a slight draft, the exact kind of wind that would lift her two long pigtails behind her and suspend them in the air as she strolled along.

She found her favorite secluded spot in the corner of the roof, where she would look at the clear sky above and think and daydream all on her own. For Miku, who had lots of friends, this was both an out-of-character ritual for her and a time for her to reflect all on her own.

Just Miku, the wind, and the sky...

And her absurdly long hair.

And it was this hair, that was blowing over the edge in the breeze, that signaled Teto that her friend was on the roof.

"Hey, it's Miku!" she said to herself, standing alone in the courtyard. Being her curious self, she dashed into the building and began to scale all the steps, until she got to the roof floor. She was lonely right at this hour and wanted to see Miku.

And on the roof, was Miku Hatsune sitting alone, her knees to her chest, just enjoying the atmostphere. Her earphones were plugged in and she was listening to the kind of music that made her nostalgic for summer vacation. The wind lifted her hair slowly out of her face...

"Oh, Teto." she took out an earbud and invited her curly-haired friend to sit with her. It was getting boring being aloneーMiku was about to go down to the schoolyard to find her friends after all. She decided to stay with Teto for a few more minutes.

As for Teto, all that was on her mind was Luka. Luka was absent today due to catching a cold from Teto, and the day just didn't have the certain special glow to it when Luka wasn't around. No thrill or excitement, none of that floaty feeling, or the treasured feeling of a perfect day. As if the world became less colorful when she was away.

It was obviousーTeto was in love with Luka, and they have expressed their affection many times. But they were still in the closet; even they themselves barely acknowledged the fact they were a _couple_, even though they have kissed and gone on dates. A _lesbian_ couple... Why can't it simply just be called _love_ instead?

"Miku... um..." Teto tensely shifted her eyes back and forth as if she were about to declare something risky.

"Hm?" Miku responded by facing Teto and giving her full attention. Being on the spot, Teto froze up a little bit. She swallowed.

"Miku always gives good love advice... she's one of my best friends. If there's anyone I can tell, it's Miku." she thought heavily.

Teto forced herself to loosen up.

"Miku... well, something I've wanted to tell people, only I've been too scared..."

"What is it?" Miku said. "I'll listen."

Teto gave one small heaving sigh.

"I... I like girls, Miku... ah, p-please don't think I'm wrong or weird..."

Teto broke out in a sweat.

"Oh. Okay." Miku responded rather casually, but also as if she wasn't expecting to hear such a thing...

Suddenly Teto froze up.

"I... I did it..." A sigh escaped from her nostrils as her thoughts continued to flow.

"_But... dear goodness, WHAT did I just do!? It sounded like I was about to confess love to MIKU! And now I can't think of anything else to say to make this less awkward! Oooh..._"

"Really, it's fine!" Miku said, to Teto's surprise. "You're no different from anybody else. It just means you want to have a girlfriend instead. It's fine, Teto! I'm sure you'll have one soon!"

Teto blushed deeply at what Miku said. Partly because she was relieved at Miku's open-minded response, but...

"But... only I... Miku, I um... _already have... a girlfriend_."

Teto's cheeks grew redder and the corners of her mouth began to stretch upwards.

"Oh, really?" Miku raised her eyebrows, looking fairly surprised.

"Well, who?"

Teto suddenly broke out into a huge smile and her blushing turned into shivers and sweats. The name of her loved one was right on the edge of her lips. It was ready to come out.

In a shaky voice, she said...

"It's... _Luka_. I mean... Megurine-sensei, but... we're so close and she's only two years older, so I call her 'Luka'. You already know that. But... the truth is that we're actually in love... we even live together and everything... eventually our friendship became lo-... it became l-_love_, Miku..."

Teto's tightly clenched fingers turned pink. Her voice wobbled to a stop as she burned up and lowered her head in shame... but suddenly she heard the sound of clapping in the air. She looked up perplexed. Miku was smiling and clapping at her?

"Well, Teto. That's great! How sweet... congratulations on your relationship!"

Teto suddenly felt flabbergasted.

"M-Miku..."

"That took a lot of courage to admit." Miku brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "After all... I never expected you and Megurine-sensei to be in a relationship... but I feel like I can understand. And since she loves you back... there's no reason for you two not to be in love."

Teto, through a thin layer of tears, smiled brightly.

Miku stood up and gazed over the edge of the building, the sky and clouds and vast landscape at her fingertips.

"Love can be strange, Teto."

She took the red-haired girl's hands and held them in her own.

"It can be between anyone, but it doesn't make it any less different. You two have pure love between you. I'll support you fully."

Miku smiled, and Teto smiled too.

The sound of a school bell ringing echoed through the airy atmostphere.

_Ding-dong, ding-dong..._

"Oh, break's almost over! We have to hurry back to class!"

Miku grabbed Teto's hand and swiftly ran with her, down the stairs and through empty halls. She smiled as she glided, and Teto laughed happily the whole way with Miku until they got back to the main hallway, continuing slowly and merrily with their sparkling school lives.

* * *

Luka went shopping that evening.

She left Teto alone in the house, provided with the trust that the rambunctious girl was at least not going to burn the house down... or even spill anything.

But Teto never did. And the responsible Luka had her trust.

She was returning from the supermarket that was located near the recreation center. It was a small town, which made the atmostphere that much more quaint. Though in a smaller town, it was easier to run into people you know.

And as she was leisurely strolling back to where she parked her car, she spotted Miku Hatsune sitting on a nearby bench, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts and drying her hair off with a white towel. The sunlight coming in from directly behind made the girl's distant figure more noticeable.

"Hatsune-san, hello." Luka greeted once she was standing by the bench.

"Ah, it's Megurine-sensei!" Miku happily greeted back to her favorite assistant teacher. They were friends too, it wasn't like Luka was that distant from the students at all. In fact, she practically would become one of them.

Luka sat down on the bench and started talking to Miku.

"So, what could you be doing here today?"

"I'm just drying my hair off. It's a pain getting all of it dry. I just took a swim at the recreation center's pool. Gumi was there too. She already went home, I think..."

"Ah, I see." Luka was already thinking of Teto, but Miku bringing up the pool made Luka think in detail, her and Teto's happy days at the pool too.

"Teto..." Luka blushed. She was sitting next to Miku, which only made it worse. Miku was even the same size as Teto, which made Luka feel even more like her beloved girlfriend was by her side... her girlfriend whom she still was in the closet about.

"It's so hard keeping quiet about it..." she began to think. "Should I tell Miku? I'm so tempted to... but how would she react?"

Luka lowered her face, deep in thought.

"Huh? Megurine-sensei, are you alright? You became quiet all of a sudden..."

"Well, you see... Miku, I'm... in love."

The words finally escaped her lips and Luka blushed even deeper. Her smile which couldn't be hidden shone brightly on her face.

"Miku, it's... Teto. I love her so much. She has such a colorful spirit and it changed who I am... Kasane Teto, she's my girlfriend, and I felt like I had to tell someone. She's been in my mind all day..."

Luka lowered her head so that her long rose bangs covered her face.

"_Wh-what am I saying? What am I saying all of a sudden? Why am I telling this to Miku! I know keeping it inside was painful, but... oh, why?_"

Luka was about to lift her hands to her face once Miku called out her name.

"Megurine-sensei? Um... Luka? Luka."

Luka, surprised at Miku saying her first name, looked right at her with a red face and somewhat misty eyes.

"'Luka', it's what Teto calls you, yes?"

After a nervous pause, Luka slowly nodded.

A few more quiet yet calming seconds passed.

"Luka, I know Teto loves you back. And it's fine, it's fine if you love each other. I'm not going to think of you any differently, okay Luka? You're nervous because it's unexpected, but I can tell your love for Teto is true."

Luka, who just realized she had been holding her breath, exhaled with such a force that it triggered a tiny sob.

"Miku..."

The older girl collapsed onto the shoulders of the smaller girl, who wrapped her arms around her delicately. She was sobbing from nervousness, but no tears were coming out.

"There, there, it's alright. Coming out can take a lot of courage. But you had the courage."

* * *

After Miku comforted her and Luka drove away with her groceries, the now-dry-haired girl began walking back to her house alone. She lived nearby, and she absolutely loved walking in nature.

"_I'm... a little jealous_." Miku thought, as she danced around a puddle in the sidewalk.

"Jealous... loving someone so much that your face turns red. That you can't keep the feelings in. So much that they can even make you cry... I wish I could experience those feelings one day. That's why... that's why I think love is wonderful."

Miku stopped for a moment and watched the exact moment the sun sank behind the trees in the distance.

"Teto and Luka, I'm happy for them. I got to hear the feelings from both sides of them, and their love for each other seems to be completely in sync, despite how different they are."

Miku lifted her hand high in the air and began to skip the rest of the way home.

"Luka and Teto, good luck in love! One day I'll find love too!"


	4. My Toeto

**Teto's P.O.V**

* * *

Luka can do everything, right? She's my super fantastic number one role-model, she's brave and strong and smart and majestic and totally awesome! Right!?

And she's fearless, right? She's always keeping her cool even when everything goes crazy.

When something's wrong with me, she becomes strong and holds me tight. She's the one who makes me feel secure, because she's filled with strength and warmth through and through.

Living in the same house with her is the best! She's just like an independent big sister!

..._right_?

But I've noticed, lately Luka has been acting kinda melancholy. A bit wistful. Sighing a lot, acting all... well... emotional. Singing quietly to herself and staring at the air.

Being the somewhat solitary person she is, I'm used to it. But lately, she's been doing it more.

I know she had a rather lonely past and that concerns me. It could've left a hole in her heart, and the whole time she had been trying to cover it up the best she could so I wouldn't have to worry for her.

She always says that she isn't lonely. She says that because of me, she'll never be lonely again.

But sometimes I just don't feel like it's true. Or that I'm truly enough.

Am I really strong enough to fill the hole in Luka's heart myself, I wonder?

I did ask her, and she told me that of course I was. But in that moment, her eyes said otherwise.

Luka's eyes that looked like they were made out of glass... looked like they were close to shattering. I've never seen Luka look so venerable before.

Then one night, Luka sang me a lullaby that went like this;

"See, my words come out all wrong  
Can't seem to say things right at all  
So I'll keep lying and hide  
Underneath my hat  
Can't quite remember when  
This shy girl emerged inside of me  
Eto, eto, ne  
E Toeto"

"Luka, why are you singing such a song?" I ask sadly. "You're not like this, Luka. You are strong and you speak with confidence... this song gives me the feeling that you really are hiding something."

I face her concernedly, ready to say words I don't usually say.

"Tell me, Luka. _I want to help_."

"Teto..." she rubs my head warmly. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. These are nothing but lyrics after all. Don't worry, Teto... don't worry."

She gives me a smile to reassure me, and for a moment I am falsely reassured. I end up forgetting about the look in her eyes I once saw before, and become reassured enough to soon fall asleep peacefully. 

* * *

After I fall asleep, I awaken in the midst of a chill and the room is empty and blue. It looks the same, only there's no light from outside... and nobody is here. Not Luka. The bed is frigid and empty and no sign of her comforting prescence is anywhere.

"Luka?" I call out. Nobody is there and my voice echoes coldly.

I'm not like Luka. I'm already panicking and losing it. I'm all alone, and whether this is just a bad dream or not, I'm still terrified.

I noticed that I've started crying when suddenly, a light shines from the middle of the room and a round, blue, crystalline floating capsule rises in front of me.

"Time Machine," it reads, in thin surreal letters at the top.

My mouth gapes open. I'm dreaming, right? I'll wake up soon. So either way, nothing bad really can happen.

Hey, this is pretty cool! I only with Luka were in this dream with me, then it would be a hundred times as cool!

I sigh thinking about her. Since there's nowhere to go, I climb in. The bubble opens up and sucks me in. I'm floating weightlessly inside this round space... whoa... as if I was underwater, only I can breathe.

I can't think of anywhere in time I want to go. There's only one place in mind, so I say it out loud.

"I want to go to the past, just last night!" I say. "So I can be together with Luka again. So I can feel her warmth again!"

"Confirmed." the machine chimes in an emotionless voice. The surroundings glow, they get brighter and brighter. I feel myself waning away. I become nothing but light. Soon I can no longer feel my own presence. Soon, I can no longer think.

After that, I can't remember what happened.

When I open my eyes, the machine is gone. All around me is soft green grass and flowers.

A schoolhouse yard... it's an elementary school and the young children are being let out for recess.

"Huh..." I feel nostalgic looking at the surroundings. I haven't been in elementary school in years, obviously.

The air around me is so fresh and serene. I hear faint voices through the silence. Voices of the children playing in the field.

"Um... excuse me."

The distant shy voice of a girl gets my attention the most. I wonder why though, since it's one of the quietest voices I can hear.

"I want... to play with you." the girl stutters to whoever she's talking to. "I mean... I wish you... I..."

"Come on, just say it already, freak!" a a boy rudely shouts over her speech.

The shy girl's voice begins to tremble even more and I can just imagine this little girl turning red, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I... eto... want to eto... eto-eto..."

"Hahahahaha!" Everyone started laughing. "To-eto! This is why her name's To-eto! We don't even know her name. But she mumbles 'eto' too much!"

The little girl runs away crying after long seconds of insults and yells. I couldn't get a good look at her before, but now I see she has pink hair, a light brown dress that trails behind her, and is wearing a cat hat. Aaand she looks familiar. Wait a minute, she looks _too_ familiar..._ MUCH too familiar_...

"Wait a minute!" I scream inside my mind.

When the other kids clear away out of eyeshot, I make a run for the trees where the strange girl ran.

She's ducked down in the midst of the green enterance of the woods, curled up and sobbing past a clearing of branches too small for me to fit through.

"Hey!" I call out to her. She looks back, doesn't budge and keeps crying bitterly.

"Hey, please come out!" I yell for a few more seconds, the girl madly shakes her head and doesn't budge. I realize my voice sounds too aggressive so I speak quieter in a more comforting tone.

"Come on, I'll be your friend..." I try to sound soothing.

She's sobbing hard. The sight and sound of her cries reach into my heart and break it. I'm feeling all her pain suddenly. I never felt this way before with anyone. Anyone besides one person.

There is only one person I know who's emotions I share every bit of with.

"_Luka_."

The name escapes my lips. The girl suddenly turns back and eyes me with a broken, tearful expression. Her eyes, even though saturated with tears, are beautiful, as if they were made of clear glass.

I've seen those eyes before.

"Luka." I say again.

"I'm your friend. I'm here for you, I promise. You can come out... Luka."

The girl blinks her eyes, wipes them on her sleeve, and slowly comes and crawls back through the space between the branches.

Looking at her face, past the fact it was stained with tears, she has light blue eyes, short coral-colored bangs and rosy cheeksーthe spitting image of a young and shy Luka. She stands facing me in a modest quiet pose, just like the Luka today.

"_It's Luka, it really is Luka. I traveled to her past! This must be her as a little girl!_"

She's so cute! But sad...

What just happened to her was terrible. Did this happen every day? All the time, with everyone?

"Don't let them make you cry, okay? Just wear a smile on your face, and everything will be okay."

"Just wear a smile."

Those were words that Luka had taught me before, and now I was using them on her.

I crouch down to the young Luka and she shies away, her cheeks all red and her eyes glossy.

"My words... never come out right." she says in a fragile little voice.

"It's why I can't make any friends. I don't know how... and then they just pick on me because I'm weird and I stutter a lot... I can't stand it. I have nobody... nobody who I can call a friend..."

Her eyes slowly fill with tears and I feel weight tug on my heart.

I hold out my arms comfortingly and she cries, running into my embrace, tugging onto my shirt and sobbing. I'm still wearing pajamas, but they're soft. She holds on to the softness and the fabric dries her tears quickly.

I feel tears forming in my own eyes as I reach out and pat her tiny back.

"You have a friend, Luka." I say softly. I know I can't tell her that I'm from her future, nor can I tell her that I know her future self, but... she's probably wondering who in the world I am.

"Luka, I am somebody who exists in your heart." I tell her, as I can't tell her who I really am. So I make up a little white lie. It's like I'm her angel or something. I'm sure this act would work on an innocent little girl.

"When you're lonely, just think of me. And when you think of me, always smile. Always smile and you won't feel alone. I'm a part of your heart."

I face Luka's pink face and tears form in my eyes.

"And you... are in _my_ heart." I say.

Little Luka looks confused for a second, but soon, she's smiling. Smiling through her tears, almost like a rainbow is shining through them.

"Okay." she says. Oh goodness, little Luka is so cute!

"You're smiling!" I cheer. "Come on, little Luka, let's play!"

I run friskily around the nearby flower patch and Luka chases after me. Wow, she's fast! Her dress is beautiful and the ribbons all around the trim and at the front moves in the wind.

"Tag, you're it!" she catches up to me, pats my hip and playfully runs away again, her soft pink locks being lifted by the wind.

"Hey!" I run after the smiling girl again, and little Luka topples down on the grassy ground.

"Ah, are you okay?" I shout.

Luka is laughing. She lifts up her face and is smiling brightly, rubbing her knee just a bit.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she says. "You're a really good friend. The only friend I've had. I like you."

"Thanks." I say, patting her soft head again.

Now Luka is just sitting there in the midst of the flowers. I join her and sit with her. A butterfly flutters past us and lands delicately on a pansy. I pick up a small pink flower and let her have it. She gives me an innocent smile and holds onto it tightly. I can tell she's daydreaming now, but she's still enjoying being by my side. I let her daydream. I have a lot to think about too, after all.

"_This is Luka from the past. I... I never knew. This heartbroken girl is what she's been hiding._"

I think of that teary-eyed face I saw only minutes ago and begin to tear up again.

"_Luka, from the present... this is why she needs me. It's why she loves me. Because I understand her. Because I'm her true friend. And now... now I only understand her better, after seeing this. The way everybody must've had treated her for years had waned away at her... poor Luka._"

I realize I've been daydreaming with such intensity that I didn't even notice the serene surroundings had suddenly dissappeared.

I'm literally stuck inside of a void. A blue void. The familiar surreal color of the... Time Machine?

My time in the past must be up. Is it time to go back already? No... No!

I want to comfort little Luka more... she needs me...

I bite back tears, when suddenly, through the beautiful starry blue, I see a warm smiling face.

Little Luka's smile. The smile I created.

"Thank You." I hear her faint voice say as her mouth moves. She holds up the flower and I can faintly see it's rich pink color.

"_I Love You._"

I tear up some more.

"I love you too, little Luka!"

I wave goodbye to the vision and she waves back. Soon the vision of the child Luka fades away, but she's smiling the entire time.

And I don't remember what happened after that.

* * *

I just know that the next morning, I woke up in the middle of the floor right where the Time Machine was before. I can't tell if I really traveled back in time, or if it was a highly coincidental dream.

The room now looks normal. Light pink walls, the same welcoming decor. It's early in the morning and a airy light blue is coming in through the windows, dispersing through thin curtains. The birds are singing, and right below the light-colored curtains, Luka is here, sleeping in the bed, looking beautiful as she always does. My heart melts. That lonely sad girl had grown to be such a beautiful strong woman.

I'm proud of Luka, all the courage it must've took to transform like that.

I'm relieved that I'm now in the present again. Present-day Luka is back and I'm more than delighted to see her. I bounce on the bed, crawl over to her and tap her on the shoulder.

She won't budge and her head is buried in the soft pillow.

Soon, I hear small sobs coming from her throat.

What? Luka is crying... why?

"Luka! Luka, what's wrong!" I nudge her shaking shoulders.

I'm beginning to break down from all this. I can't stand seeing Luka cry, whether it's past Luka or present-day Luka. She's the one who I love. I just can't bear to see her with a teary face.

I inconspicuously hear her mumble one word... It's not my name. It sounds a bit different.

"Toeto..."

Toeto? Toeto... I finally recognize the name.

It's the name of the little shy girl from her lullaby last night. It's the nickname the other kids gave her because she stuttered.

Toeto... Toeto must be Luka's past self. The personification of the hidden loneliness that still weighs her down.

"Luka..."

Luka sits up with a long sigh and finally starts to pour her heart out in a low voice.

"I've had these dreams at night lately, Teto. Toeto keeps coming back in those dreams." Luka says to me.

"She's always crying, always alone. And I can never reach her. I can never comfort Toeto. Yet she's a part of me. Toeto is a lonely girl who's always been inside of meーthe misunderstood girl from my past who had nobody. Yet when I try to relieve her of all her loneliness, I never can reach her..."

Luka wipes the tears from her eyes and looks at me. I swallow a bit, my own eyes becoming wet.

But when Luka's face grows a small smile, I feel relieved, even more choked-up. More emotions flood inside me in return.

"But last night in my dream, you were there, Teto." Luka says fondly. "You were there for Toeto. You made her smile, you made her laugh. You eased her of all her loneliness. You came into my dream and filled the hole in my heart."

Luka suddenly reaches out to hug me. I choke up in her warmth, it's like honey. It's even sweeter than that. It's love.

"Thank you Teto, for being in my life. You'll never know... how much you mean to me. Your presence alone eased me of my past. Thank you."

I can't take it anymore. The dam breaks and I begin sobbing. The tears flow down my cheek and the next thing I know, I'm in Luka's arms being patted by her back.

"Luka, I couldn't stand seeing you cry." I choke. "And I really was there... I had a dream where I was comforting Toeto too. I saw her cry, but I beca,e her friend and got her to laugh and smile. She was so cute, and she called me her best friend. But seeing you so small and sad broke my heart. Luka... why have you never told me you had a hole in your heart?"

Luka sighs and paints a smile on her faceーthe same smile Toeto had when I was comforting her.

Luka's pure true smile never changed throughout all these years.

"Because..." she starts saying.

"I might not seem like it now, but I'm still the same. I'm shy. I can't say everything on my mind because the words don't come out sometimes. Toeto is still inside of me, a part of me I always cover up under fake strength. I'm not the person I try to be. In reality, I'm still Toeto. But now, because you were able to reach her, Teto..."

Luka holds me tight, her smile the richest and warmest I've ever seen.

"Because of you, Toeto has a true friend." 

* * *

**ENDNOTE**: I know this is a soap opera. Ugh, SO OVERLY SAPPY. LIKE NOBODY SHOUD BE CRYING THIS MUCH. Welp, that was my attempt at something psychological. Toeto represents Luka's feelings of loneliness and insecurity that she still can't get rid of. Basically Luka's hidden "true self". But because Luka had the dream about Teto comforting her younger self, it signifies that Teto being there for her had gradually healed her from the emotions, putting "Toeto" at ease.

Frankly I don't think this my best story, writing-wise. So I may improve that aspect of it when I have time. Also, this is also a part of Rose-Colored Days (my Teto x Luka oneshot collection), only I thought this was different from most of the Rose-Colored Days stories and I wanted it to be on its own too.


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